Truss



April s, 1941. N D- KLEIN 2,297,939

TRUss Filed Oct. 6, 1930 wrrrvsssss INVENTOR 5 j/fcholas 17. K Lein/ Patented Apr. 8, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to trusses and has lor an object to provide an improved construction wherein the pad is controlled, flexibly mounted, and self-adjusting.

Another object of the invention is to provide a truss having a rigid frame bent to present inclined portions for supporting one or more pads in a desired functioning position.

An additional and more specic object is to provide in a truss a pad and mounting therefor wherein the lower end of the pad is provided with pressure for holding the same in place and additional pressure applied to the upper end of the pad so that the pad is held in functioning position by the truss structure rather than by part of the body of the person wearing the truss.

A further object of the invention is to provide a truss having a substantially rigid frame and a pad structure including connected spring coils functioning to resiliently hold the pad in correct position and provide a desired pressure at the bottom thereof without depending upon the action of the abdomen of the wearer of the truss.

In the accompanying drawing- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a truss disclosing an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of one of the pads shown in Fig. 1 and a short section of the frame;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through Fig. 2 approximately on the line 3-3;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but with the pad swung outwardly;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through Fig. 2 approximately on the line 55; and

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the spring structure shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to the -accompanying drawing by numerals, I indicates a frame which is preferably ormed of a small round rod or wire which is tempered or sufficiently strong to provide a desired rigid support. Rear pads 2 and 3 are connected at the rear terminals of the frame I in any desired manner and these pads are connected by a strap 4 in any desired manner, as for instance by using button members 5 iitting into any of the buttonholes B. The structure set forth at the rear of the truss is an old and well known structure and forms no part of the present invention except in combination.

The frame I at the sides has substantially U- Cil shaped sections 'I and 8 which are inclined upwardly and at the front merge into upwardly inclined pad sections 9 and I0 which merge into a central section II that is bent slightly outwardly and downwardly. These parts are adapted to be bent into a desired position when the truss is rst adjusted to the body of a person. Padded structures l2 and i3 are connected to the sections 9 and I0 so as to support a double rupture or hernia. As the pad structures are identical a description of one will apply to both.

As illustrated particularly in Figs. 2 to 4, inclusive, the pad structure I2 is provided with a body I4 which may be formed of any desired material, as for instance a leather covering lled with suitable padding. If preferred, the body I4 could be wood and covered with leather or fabric as preferred.

As shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4, a plate I5 is arranged in the space I6 and is secured to the body I4 by suitable screws Il and I8. These screws extend through a slot I9 whereby the plate may be adjusted longitudinally with respect to the body I4 as desired. A rotatable spring adjusting screw 20 is carried by the plate I5, as shown particularly in Figs. 3 to 5 inclusive. This screw is permanently secured to the plate I5 but is rotatable in respect thereto. A traveling or tensioning nut 2| is mounted on the screw 20. This nut is provided with a short groove 22 for receiving the looped end 23 of the spring structure 24. If desired, the groove 22 could extend entirely around the nut 2I, though ordinarily this is not necessary. When the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive, a screw-driver can be placed in a kerf in screw 2U and the screw rotated for adjusting the tension of the nut 2I for varying the tension of the spring 24. The plate I5 is provided with a loop 25 which forms, in a certain sense, a tubular knuckle through which a pivotal pin 26 extends. Pin 26 is preferably provided with a head on each end and extends for a short distance beyond the knuckle 25. This is in order to accommodate the coil spring members 24 and 24". These members are connected by the loop 23 and as loop 23 is swung back and forth these spring members are brought under more or less tension. Extending from the spring members 24 and 24 are arms 21 and 28. For easy construction the arms 21 and 28 are extensions from spring members 24' and 24" and merge into spring members 29 and 30. These latter spring members are provided with extensions 3I and 32 which project between the front and back plates 33 and 34 of a. U-shaped clamp 35. Clamp 35 is made of sheet metal and straddles the section 9 so that when the clamping bolt 36 is tightened it will pinch section 9. Preferably the bolt 36 is tightened sufficiently to prevent any accidental rotary movement of the U-shaped clamping member 35 in respect to the section 9. When the partsA are in functioning position, the spring members 28 and 30 act to swing the lower end 31 toward the body of the person wearing the truss. The spring members 24' and 24 act to swing the upper end 38 toward the wearers body.

When the nut 2I on screw 20 is in its innermost position, as shown in Fig. 3, the body I4 is also almost parallel with the arms 21 and 28. When this nut is moved outwardly, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the upper end 38 will be swung toward the body of the person wearing the truss to give a greater pressure at the upper en d. This y variation in pressure at the upper end is secured without molesting the pressure at the lowerV end 31. The springs 29 and 30 function to provide a pressure at the lower end 31 to hold the same against the body. If a greater pressure at the lower end were desired, the bolt 36 could be loosened and the U-shaped member rotated toward the right as shown in Fig. 3 for a desired distance and then the nut could be tightened. This would wind or bring under greater tension the spring members 29 and 30.

From the structure just described, it will be seen that both the upper and lower ends may beindependently adjusted to give the desired tension through the action of the spring members Ais first placed in use.

without requiring any action by the abdomen of the person wearing the truss. Also when the nut 36 is loosened the entire pad may be slid longitudinally of the section 9 for lateral adjustment. and by loosening the screws I1 and I8 the body I4 may be adjusted longitudinally independently of -the plate I5 and the spring structure 24.

It will be understood that the truss should be adjusted properly to the person when the pad After it has once been adjusted it usually remains in that adjustment, but if desired the various adjustments above described may be utilized at any time to increase or decrease the pressure over the entire pad or at either end thereof. By disconnecting the strap 4 'at the rear, the truss may be taken oi Whenever desired and then replaced easily when again needed.

I claim:

In a truss of the character described, a pad structure including a pad body, a plate secured to said pad body having a tubular end portion, a'pin extending through said tubular end portion, a spring structure surrounding said pin,

Y said spring structure having a loop, a rotatable threaded member carried by said plate and a traveling nut mounted on said threaded member provided with a groove, said loop being adapted to nt into said groove whereby when said threaded member is rotated the tension of said spring structure will be varied.

NICHOLAS D. KLEIN. 

